Learning LOTRO: Lesson Thirteen - Virtues

In this series, I talk about various aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online. This series is meant for newcomers, but may also help veteran players find more to love about the game.

I've mentioned them a few times in earlier entries and promised to cover them in the future -- well, the future is now. Today I'll be talking briefly about Virtues in The Lord of the Rings Online, what they provide, and how to use them.

What Are Virtues?

Virtues in LOTRO are a type of trait which characters can level up and equip in Virtue Trait Slots. The slots themselves unlock one at a time, starting at character level 7, and again at levels 9, 11, 17, and 23. Before the game update on June 4, 2019, Virtue was earned in whole ranks. They were tied to deeds as rewards, or you could obtain consumable items to increase them. After the update last year, Virtue advancement is done differently. Each Virtue now gains Virtue Experience, and those deeds that once advanced a Virtue by an entire rank now awards a set amount of Virtue Experience. Here are a couple examples from my own characters, with various progressions in Virtue ranks and experience. On the left is Kantri, a level 17 Minstrel, and on the right is Birle, a level 122 Lore-master:

What Do the Virtues Do?

My blog isn't the place to find out which Virtues you should be using for your class in order to maximize their benefits. There's the wiki and a pile of other sites and videos to do that for you. Here, I'm just going to touch upon what each Virtue is and does without making the reader go back and forth on the wiki!

Charity: Charity has its rewards.
Resistance Rating | Physical Mitigation | Vitality
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Compassion: Your compassion is one of your greatest strengths.
Physical Mitigation | Tactical Mitigation | Armour Value
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Confidence: Your actions have instilled in you a great sense of confidence.
Critical Rating | Finesse Rating | Evade Rating
Passive bonuses: Physical Mastery Rating | Tactical Mastery Rating

Determination: Your determination has won you many victories. You have superior Agility, you are able to recover your Morale more quickly in combat, and your Morale is increased.
Agility | Physical Mastery Rating | Critical Rating
Passive bonuses: Physical Mastery Rating | Tactical Mastery Rating

Discipline: The discipline you maintain makes you stronger in the face of danger.
Resistance Rating | Incoming Healing Rating | Physical Mitigation
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Empathy: You have a proven empathy for those in need.
Armour Value | Critical Defence | Resistance Rating
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Fidelity: Your fidelity has earned you the respect of those around you.
Tactical Mitigation | Vitality | Physical Mitigation
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Fortitude: Your struggles have built in you tremendous fortitude.
Maximum Morale | Critical Defence | Resistance Rating
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Honesty: Your honesty has earned you the trust of those around you and the fear of your enemies.
Tactical Mastery Rating | Will | Critical Rating
Passive bonuses: Physical Mastery Rating | Tactical Mastery Rating

Honour: Your honour is without peer.
Maximum Morale | Tactical Mitigation | Critical Defence
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Idealism: Your idealism can brook no fault.
Fate | Incoming Healing Rating | Maximum Morale
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Innocence: Your innocence can be used as a shield.
Physical Mitigation | Resistance Rating | Tactical Mitigation
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Justice: You are a servant of justice.
In-Combat Morale Regen | Maximum Morale | Tactical Mitigation
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Loyalty: Your loyalty shall be rewarded.
Vitality | Armour Value | Incoming Healing Rating
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Mercy: You have learned the value of mercy.
Evade Rating | Fate | Vitality
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Patience: Patience is a virtue.
Maximum Power | Evade Rating | Critical Rating
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Tolerance: Your tolerance of others has taught you to shrug off much.
Tactical Mitigation | Resistance Rating | Physical Mitigation
Passive bonus: Maximum Morale

Valour: No one can ever question your valour.
Physical Mastery Rating | Finesse Rating | Critical Rating
Passive bonuses: Physical Mastery Rating | Tactical Mastery Rating

Wisdom: You have found true wisdom.
Will | Tactical Mastery Rating | Finesse Rating
Passive bonuses: Physical Mastery Rating | Tactical Mastery Rating

Wit: Your well-honed wit is a true advantage.
Finesse Rating | Critical Rating | Physical Mastery Rating | Tactical Mastery Rating
Passive bonuses: Physical Mastery Rating | Tactical Mastery Rating

Zeal: Your zeal drives you to perfection.
Might | Physical Mastery Rating | Critical Rating
Passive bonuses: Physical Mastery Rating | Tactical Mastery Rating

Understanding Virtues

This will probably seem like a cop-out, but to understand Virtues you have to understand all of the Special Stats that they bestow -- and that's going to be a separate entry in this series. (There's no way I could cover all of them in this entry, too. Sorry!)

What you can focus on for now, if you're a lower level or new player, is to select Virtues that will obviously benefit your class. For example: If the Virtue bestows a bonus to Will, that's good for Beornings, Lore-masters, Minstrels, and Rune-keepers because the stat panel in your Character window will tell you that Will is Very Important. From there, it gets a little more complicated to know what you need help with from Virtues, so I'm not going to tell you which to invest your experience in early-on.

How To Advance Virtue Ranks

Be sure to slot the Virtues you want. Be mindful that your slotted Virtues are tied to your active Trait Tree, so you can adjust your Virtues alongside which trait line you're using. Virtue experience can only be given to one Virtue at a time, and that is indicated by a green background when it is actively earning.

If you have maxed out the Virtue Experience of your active Virtue, the experience will go first to your slotted Virtues, from left to right -- and then to your lowest ranked, in alphabetical order. I'm not a fan of this new system, because it's one more thing to have to juggle on top of everything else (especially at higher levels), and I liked the old system just fine. Fortunately for you if you're a new player, this will be easier to pick up because you don't know what the old system was like!

If you want more information on Virtues in general, there is a LOT of information available on the LOTRO wiki: Virtues. Additionally, there ARE more entries coming in this series to keep fleshing out the basic knowledge to play the game well. Sit tight with me, and I promise to cover everything to some degree!

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